The present invention relates to an animal play structure for animals such as for those members of the feline or cat family.
Prior devices that have heretofore been available as play devices for animals of this type have been squeeky artifical mice per se or a play mouse mounted on the end of a string so that the mouse can be pulled away from the cat by pulling on the opposite end of the string. Although these devices provide the cat with a play toy, they are not satisfactory because they provide the cat with only very limited, short movement while he is playing with these toys. The animal play unit constructed of a frame, shaped in the form of one or more interconnected open cubes that is covered by this invention, does not limit the cat to short play movements as is the case when toys of the aforementioned type are used but rather enables the cat to enhance is innate ability to perform long play movements as it passes through passageways formed of cubes that accomodate the size of the cat; e.g., a cube that is one and a half feet square. Another advantage of employing a cubical play unit of this type is that it also permits the cat to exercise and develop its innate jumping ability by allowing the cat to take a large first jump from ground level to a panel that forms the top of a first cube and further jump onto other top panels on cubes that are at a higher elevation than the first mentioned panel. Another disadvantage experienced with the prior play devices for animals is that some animals; e.g., cats, get tired of playing with the same toys. Cats do not, however, get tired of playing when the present type cubical play unit is employed as the play unit. This is so because each of the panels enclosing selected sides, top and bottom of each cubical unit employed in the present invention can be rearranged to different positions on the sides and/or top and/or bottom of each cubical unit. This rearrangement of the panels allows the owner of such a play unit to select any one of a great number of different cubical passageways through which he desires the animal to move. Since this moveable panel feature provides a variety of new passageways through which the animal can travel, it presents a new challenge to and a new area for the animal to play in each time the position of the panels is altered and therefore the animal doesn't tire of making use of this play unit.